Sri Lanka

Highlights of Ceylon

Tour type

Tour Level: Moderate

Tour Comfort: Superior

Tour Period: 11 Days

Tour Highlight

Playing a round of Gold at Colombo Golf Club/Temple of sacred tooth relic/Kandy city tour/Royal Botanical Gardens/Scenic Train Journey/Round of golf at Nuwara Eliya Golf club/Hakgala Gardens/Boat ride at Gregories Lake/Round of Golf at Royal Colombo Golf club

tour details

Being one of the most requested journeys, this covers the highlights of this diverse island. Commencing from Culture, Nature, verdant hill country/tea country, thereafter proceeding to get a touch of Wildlife and ending with a short yet relaxing beach stay in South West waters.

You will be welcomed by our representative at the airport and proceed to Habarana with an en-route stop at Pinnawala and Dambulla. Your first stop will be Kadjugama, the Cashew Nut town of Sri Lanka.

Purchase some of Sri Lanka’s finest nuts. A great gift for someone back at home or to keep as a snack whilst travelling around the island.

Proceed to Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage (home to many abandoned or injured elephants). It is one of Sri Lanka’s most visited sites.

Before arriving at your overnight destination Habarana, take a stop at Dambulla and visit the Dambulla Cave Rock Temple which lies atop a massive hill on the edge of the town. It is one of the eight UNESCO world heritage sites in the country.

In the morning leave for Polonnaruwa which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was the Capital of Sri Lanka from 11th - 13th Century. It contains some splendid and spectacular statues.

After exploring the ancient ruins, head back to Habarana with a stop for a jeep safari at Minneriya National Park.

It is nourished by an ancient man-made tank which provides shelter for troupes of toque monkeys, sambar deer as well as leopards, elephants and bird-flocks including little cormorants and painted storks to name a few. Overnight at a hotel in Habarana.

Today after breakfast you will proceed to Anuradhapura with an en-route stop.

Visit the Aukana Buddha statue (from 5th century B.C) which is carved out of a granite rock and its height is about 40 feet (12m). This is a well preserved and a magnificent ancient effigy in Sri Lanka.

Arrive in Anuradhapura and take a tour around this ancient city, by visiting the Isurumuniya, Sri Mahabodhiya and Ruwanwelisaya, which are the highlights of this city.

Climb the UNESCO World Heritage Site the Sigiriya rock fortress this morning. This ancient rock fortress from the 5th century gives an amazing view of the Cultural Triangle.

Continue your journey to Kandy with en-route stops.

Visit an exotic Spice Garden in Matale where you can enjoy a garden tour and a cooking demonstration to understand the taste and aroma of the world famous spices. It is quite touristy and most love it.

Also take time to visit the Batik factory to see the ancient art of dyeing cloth. Dutch traders were so impressed by this craft that in 1835, they brought Batik artists back to Holland with them when they returned from trading trips.

Arrive in the Hill country capital Kandy, which is the last stronghold of Sinhala Kings and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Located at the heart of the Kandy town, right before the green waters of the Nuwara wewa, the temple’s white washed walls with tops shaped like that of clouds surround the temple grounds. Within the wall, the ancient temple stands majestically surrounded by a moat. Its golden roof gleaming in the sunlight as white-clad pilgrims bearing lotus blossoms throng to revere the sacred tooth-relic of Lord Buddha.

Then wander around the lake and the streets of Kandy getting a feel of this wonderful city.

For those interested in shopping for gems, antiques, clothes and leather use our shopping guide and explore the local markets and shops.

Kandy excursions:

-Gem Museum and Factory tour

-Art and Craft Village

-Visit the beautiful Royal Botanical Gardens and see its treasures of tropical flora. (Keep an eye out for the amazing fig tree!)

Then take the most magical train journey through Sri Lanka’s tea country with prime seats in the observation carriage. A fabulous way to see Sri Lanka’s hill villages, tea country and see the daily lives of the local people.

Your driver will take your luggage/s and meet you at the other end. It’s hassle free!

Arrive in Nuwara Eliya which is a land of tea-laden hillsides, gurgling waterfalls, stirring mountains and clear hill-country air. Here, the temperature is similar to a beautiful English summer’s day.

Take a jeep ride around Horton Plains national park, a beautiful, silent, strange world with some excellent hikes in the shadows of Sri Lanka.

The ‘plains’ themselves form an undulating plateau over 2000m high, covered by wild grasslands and interspersed with patches of thick forest, rocky outcrops, filigree waterfalls and misty lakes.

The plateau comes to a sudden end at World’s End, a stunning ledge that drops almost straight down for 880m. The Baker’s Falls that lies along the hiking trails is also a popular spot that visitors admire owing to its serene, misty environs.

With an area of nearly 130,000 hectares of protected land, it’s made up of light forests, scrubs, grasslands, tanks and lagoons. The park is divided in to 5 blocks and only 2 are open to the public.

Yala is home to 44 varieties of mammal and 215 bird species. Among its more famous residents are the world’s biggest concentration of leopards, majestic elephants, sloth bears, sambar deer, jackals, spotted deer, peacocks and crocodiles.

For many, a safari here is an essential part of their visit to the island.

Stop at Dondra which is Sri Lanka’s southern tip and visit the oldest stone building in Sri Lanka.

Dondra was formerly home to a great temple dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. During invasions in 1588, all temples were destroyed except for this one. Learn more about its interesting history when you visit.

In the afternoon wander on the ramparts and explore the historic town of Galle and the 17th century Dutch Fort, a UNESCO-protected World Heritage site. Walk down Galle Fort's narrow streets lined with Dutch and British colonial era buildings which are still in use, sturdy ramparts looking out to the sea, the lighthouse, and a growing collection of art galleries.

There is so much to discover and it is best to take a walk around the city.

Experience Ambalangoda cultural heritage with a visit to the Mask Museum where intricate masks used in various southern traditional dance forms are on display. Masked dancing is also performed here regularly.

The sandy beaches are the main attraction in the string of small towns such as Beruwala and Kalutara. They also share a vibrant cultural heritage including folklore, music and dance as well as architectural influences from the Dutch period.